Synaxarion of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos

 Saint Bessarion Korkoliakos, the Agathonite, was born in Petalidi, Messenia in 1908, where he learned his first letters. His secular name was Andrew. At the age of 18 he went to Kalamata, where he connected with spiritual people and decided to enter the holy clergy. He became a Monk and took the name Bessarion. Then he was ordained a Deacon, Priest and received the office of Archimandrite.

His higher studies were at the Scholarcheio. However, the continuous study of the sacred books, the texts of our Church, the books of the chanter's stand, had made Saint Bessarion a man of broad and profound theological education.

Filled with spiritual supplies in the year 1935, following the invitation of Ezekiel, the Metropolitan of Karditsa of Messenia, Saint Bessarion went to Karditsa, where he devoted himself to the work of the ministry of our Lord. There he practiced the work of philanthropy and within it he spent his entire life to the point where, being in the Sotiria Hospital, shortly before his death, he asked from his bed of pain with tireless concern for the children, the poor, the matters pertaining to the Church and society.

He undertook many and difficult missions. Among them he played an important role in the German occupation, during which he is reported to have helped many patriots and saved children captured by the Germans with his personal intervention.

After the Liberation and the Civil War, Saint Bessarion left Karditsa. Already an Archimandrite with a long ascetic life and rich spiritual and social work, he came to the Agathonos Monastery after 1955, influenced by the fellow Peloponnesian Father Germanos Demakos. There he undertook to serve the spiritual portion of the Monastery. He had an internal ministry within the Monastery, but he also had an external service to the world. Every Monday and Tuesday he went to the Hospitals of Lamia, saw the patients, comforted them and confessed them. With his charismatic personality, his love for people and his sweet and simple way he managed to relieve the pained souls. On the other days he sat in the Monastery, in front of the church, he greeted the people with his friendly smile and listened to their problems. People who came burdened with pain, suffering and anxiety, left the Holy Elder relieved. He also helped many of them financially. Whatever things and money were brought to him by many people who trusted him, the Elder distributed them to the poor and those in need. He kept saying, "Outside people are poor, outside they are hungry, we have to help them."

Every Great Lent he left the Monastery with the blessing of Elder Germanos and traveled from one end of the Prefecture of Fthiotidos to the other.

SAINT GABRIEL URGEBADZE

 

Μητροπολίτης Ονούφριος-Πρέπει πάντοτε να είμαστε με τον Χριστό,κυρίως στις δοκιμασίες και στους διωγμούς

Metropolitan Onuphry: We must always be with Christ, even in days of tribulation and persecution
We must be with Christ, not only when people are shouting “Hosanna!”, when we are praised, when they applaud us for it, but also when they cry, “Crucify.” Being with Christ when Christ is under attack is the greatest gift man can offer to God. May the Lord help us, dear brothers and sisters, to ever be with Christ—both in days of blessedness, and in days of tribulation and persecution, because Christ is unchanging, the unchanging Truth. And whoever is with Him always prevails.

Pray for the canonical Orthodox Church, for persecuted Metropolitans, Bishops, Abbots and all clergy and Orthodox Christians in Ukraine.

πηγή

"Akathist of Thanksgiving''

What is the Akathist of Thanksgiving?

This Akathist, also called the "Akathist of Thanksgiving," was composed by Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov shortly before his death in a soviet prison camp in 1940. The title “Glory to God for All Things” is taken from the words of Saint John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile.

https://www.saintjonah.org/services/thanksgiving.htm

An Unpublished Life of Fr. Seraphim Rose, Written By His Godfather

By Dimitri Andrault de Langeron

  The story behind this text: My name is Gregory and around the years 2003-2006 I had the honor of spending time with, praying with and listening to the spiritual words of a truly humble man who loved Orthodoxy with all his heart.

   I speak of Dimitri Langeron, who lives with his wife Irene and their son Nicholas. Dimitri is Fr. Seraphim Rose’s godfather and a most pious and God-loving man. Their house is filled with icons, some very old from Russia and in some rooms nearly half of the walls of the rooms are covered in icons. There is something very other-worldly about Dimitri and his family; something I can best describe as Old Worldish; remnants of the types of people who so rarely exist these days. They pray, they fast, they constantly speak about God and His Holy Church and I really don’t know if I’ve ever heard them speak of anything else; besides of things concerning the necessities of life. They have a huge garden in their backyard (the size of a large house) and live in simplicity.

  I visited their home often over the course of these three years or so, as their son is mentally challenged and in their old age, they needed help in caring for him. I was paid by Easter Seals for this and the Langerons were pleased as they preferred someone who was Orthodox to help them. 

During one of these visits, Dimitri printed for me a text he had written about his godson, Fr. Seraphim Rose. If I remember correctly he had been asked to write it as an introduction for a book; but it either was never submitted by him or the author of the book perhaps chose a different introduction instead. I took this and read it, placing it for safe keeping in a three-ring binder. Now after at least a decade, I just recently rediscovered this work of his. I am sharing it for all those who love Fr. Seraphim Rose. I ask the prayers of all those who read this for Dimitri, Irene and Nicholas, who are all now very old and preparing to pass into eternity.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness …”
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
John Keats (1795-1821)


Eugene Rose was born in 1934, into an American Protestant family.

Beauty is what attracted Eugene, the future father Seraphim, to Russian Orthodox Christianity. What he called later “the savor of Orthodoxy.”

Why Do Some Icons of St. Matrona of Moscow Portray Her with Open Eyes, While Other Icons Portray Her with Closed Eyes?

Icon painting is based on the canon, that is, the rule. On the other hand, we have to deal with lots of issues all the time. This is especially true when we paint icons of newly-canonized saints, i.e., martyrs, the righteous ones, and the blesseds of the 20th century. There is no established canon yet. However, we have their photos at our disposal, and they might ostensibly help us to paint the saints’ icons. If only it worked that way.

The icon of St. Matrona of Moscow in St. Thomas Church where the Rev. Daniel Sysoev was the parish priest.

According to Father Daniel, we depict saints in their transformed state, that is, as they are in Heaven. Therefore, they cannot have the ailments that they used to have while alive.

Saint Matrona of Moscow was canonized first as a local saint in 1999, and then as the universally venerated saint in 2004. Little time passed between those two events but it had already become an established tradition to portray St. Matrona blind, that is, true to life. That image is familiar and approved by the faithful.

At the same time, an icon is not a portrait. The Church doctrine regarding veneration of icons claims that there is the transformed human being who is a partaker of the Divine life whom we can contact through the image. That is why saints are usually painted without emphasizing their physical defects too much. Let’s recall icons of Saint Seraphim of Sarov: he is depicted as a slightly but not entirely bow-backed old man.

Therefore, there have been two ways of painting St. Matrona: with closed eyes and with open eyes. When we paint the icon, we show our initial draft to the priest who ordered it and ask him for his blessing. Either the parish priest of the church for which we paint the icon or the spiritual father of the person who ordered the icon has the final say in this matter. Thus, we icon painters avoid unauthorized activity. I believe that parishioners shouldn’t be wary of “incorrect” icons.

πηγή

Don't be too strict. Excessive severity is dangerous

“Don't be too strict. Excessive severity is dangerous. It stops the soul only at an external feat, without giving depth. Be gentle, do not chase external rules. Mentally talk with the Lord and the saints.

 - Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov

A Sermon for the Feast of the Royal Martyrs of Russia

By Paul Gilbert

  This article was originally published on 17th July 2021, on the web site of the Holy Cross Monastery, a monastic community of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), situated in Wayne, West Virginia, USA. 

  I remember the first time I saw a portrait of Tsar Nicholas II in a church. As a recent American convert to Orthodoxy, it seemed strange to me, and something within me bristled. Not surprisingly, most Americans are uneasy with the concept of monarchy. Our nation was born in casting off the rule of a monarch and the founding a democratic republic. We have always defined ourselves in opposition to the antiquated ways and entrenched hierarchies of the Old World. And now, the Church sets before us the last living representatives of that order for our pious admiration and veneration.

  What are we to make of this as Americans? For us, the words “czar” and “autocrat” have the negative connotations of someone who wields power in an arbitrary or oppressive manner. They are practically synonymous with “tyrant” and “despot”. The voice of the inner cynic suggests that the canonization of the last Tsar and his family is just an expression of Russian chauvinism and reactionary nostalgia for a time when the Orthodox Church enjoyed the patronage of the State. 

Why should a repressive Russian tyrant command the affection and devotion of an American heart reared on the ideals of liberty and democracy? Perhaps your inner cynic has never had such thoughts, but mine has, and others like them—Were the Royal Martyrs really deserving of sainthood? They did not perform any miracles in their lifetime. Were they even truly martyrs? For unlike the martyrs of the early Church, they were not killed by state-sanctioned persecutors simply for confessing Christ; rather, they were killed precisely because they represented and embodied the very conjunction of State power and the Christian faith.

The Theotokos “protection of the unborn”.

The Theotokos “protection of the unborn”.
 Glory to God there was a historic victory today in the States. For family, for life and for unborn children everywhere. As an Orthodox Christian, Priest and a father of a beautiful little boy and another baby on the way, this brings joy and hope into mine and my wife’s heart. Many of you on my friends list here on FB, won’t agree with me on this. That is your choice. But no choice of another should result in the termination of an unborn child. Life begins at conception. Dead things or unliving things don’t grow. But growth is inherently a factor of life. Physical or otherwise. If you’re ”pro-choice” then you have the choice to choose abstinence. But no one has the right to take a life. There are times when wars had be fought to defend life, or when law enforcement has to prevent the deaths of innocent people. But unjust laws are no laws at all and thank God, there is finally progress in defending unborn babies.

No parent should approve of the so-called “right to choose” in terms of abortion. One shouldn’t make an expensive purchase before they are ready,

Each person is the very icon of God incarnate the world(St.Maria of Paris)

The Life of Saint Spyridon the Wonder Worker and Bishop of Tremithus

St. Spyridon Orthodox Church

EΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟ  ΕΔΩ

Translated and adapted (with additional information added) by Mother Cassiana. 

 Saint Spyridon has remained one of the most beloved saints in the Orthodox Church throughout the centuries. Clergy and laity alike can identify with this holy bishop. He was compassionate, but firm and loving; a humble shepherd, bishop, confessor of the faith during times of persecution, and an outstanding teacher of Orthodoxy at the Council of Nicaea. He did not allow his episcopal rank to distance him from the faithful of his diocese, but was truly united with the people, loving them as a true father. He worked many miracles both during his life on earth and after his repose, even to the present day.

This holy father was born on the island of Cyprus. No date for his birth is given in the hagiographical account of his life, however, considering that he was already a bishop at the time of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325 A.D., it can rather safely be assumed that he was born in the latter half of the third century.
His parents were simple people, and raised their son in a humble and pious home where love for God abound. In his youth, Spyridon was a shepherd, watching over the flocks. Later, even as a bishop, he continued to keep sheep. He was not an ambitious youth, anxious for a position in society; instead he was content in the quiet country life ofwork and prayer. The hymns sung on his feast day liken him to a number of Old Testament figures, saying that he was gentle like the prophet David who had also been a shepherd in his youth; like the patriarch Jacob, he too was humble of heart; like the great Abraham, he showed hospitality to all; he had the innocence of Job and the goodness of Moses.
Syridon married at the legal age; again, however, the lengthy account of his life in the ancient Church writings are silent as to the name of his wife. They had several children, one of whom, a daughter named Irene, would later figure in a miracle worked by this saint. As a husband and father, Syridon continued to live an honest life pleasing to God.

Some accounts state that Spyridon's wife died while rather young, others make no mention of her at all, and still others name Saint Syridon as one of those early bishops of the Church who was, indeed, still married during the time of his episcopacy.

The canon in the Orthodox Church of bishops being chosen exclusively from the monastic or celibate clergy has been in effect for many centuries however the earliest years of Christianity did see a number of married men elected to the episcopacy. This rule of candidates for the episcopacy being chosen from among the celibate, monastic or widowed clergy was not strictly enforced or considered the norm until after the time of Spyridon's life. In fact, earliest mention enforcing celibate bishops is not found until some two hundred years later! In his History of the Church, the early historian Eusebius, a contemporary of St. Spyridon's mentions at least two bishops specifically as being married during their episcopacy: Chaeremon, from the mid third century, "the very aged bishop

Will I really not inherit the Heavenly Kingdom?

A Muslim judge once invited a monk to his home, treated him to dinner and asked:
– Please tell me, kind man. I'm a Muslim and try to live according to the law. I judge fairly, I don't take bribes, I feed the poor, I pray, I fast. I try to live righteously and do everything according to the will of God. Will I really not inherit the Heavenly Kingdom?

And the monk answered:
– Tell me dear, do you have children?
– I do, – answered the judge.
– How about servants?
– And servants too of course!
– Then tell me, who obeys you more, the servants or your children?
– The servants, the servants of course. They catch my every word; they try to please me in every way. But my children can be stubborn; sometimes they don't listen and go off on their own will.
– But tell me, when you die, who will you give all of your inheritance to, your children or the servants?
– To my children of course! – exclaimed the judge.

– The same it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. You can be an ideal servant, but only the sons receive the inheritance. And the only way to become a son is through Jesus Christ.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:7).

πηγή

A pilgrim to Athos - Προσκυνητής στον Άθωνα

anastasiosds

Ο φίλος Αγγλικανός Ιερέας π. Andrei Petrine επισκέφθηκε πρόσφατα το Άγιο Όρος και μας έκανε τη τιμή να μας γράψει (στα αγγλικά) μερικές εντυπώσεις του, τις οποίες με πολλή χαρά δημοσιεύουμε στο Ημερολόγιό μας:

The Russians have a saying: “even a stick fires once a year”. That means anything might happen quite unexpectedly although not without a reason. In my case, the second visit to Mount Athos in September 2016 resulted from the firing of a woollen prayer rope bought in the Holy Monastery Iviron a few years earlier. When buying I thought of it more like a special souvenir, almost like a mug from a gift shop displaying a picture of a museum or a historic town.

SEEKER OF THE TRUTH. IN MEMORY OF HIEROMONK SERAPHIM (ROSE)

Christ’s call is still reaching to us; let us begin to listen to it.” These words of Father Serpahim (Rose)—ascetic, theologian, and preacher—are relevant today more than ever. His books helped many to hear this call. Written in the 1970s and ‘80s for his contemporaries lost in the intellectual wastelands, his works are today even more relevant, because today’s “intellectuals” are wandering lost in even more dangerous deserts of spiritual morbidity.

Fr. Seraphim in the St. Elias Skete, Noble Ridge, near the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, Cal. In the background is Mt. St. Herman.

Father Seraphim departed to the Lord on September 2, 1982—30 years ago. In honor of this day, Pravoslavie.ru has asked several pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church to talk about what Father Seraphim means to them.

Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky:

Books by Father Seraphim (Rose) played a very important role during the period of my life when I was coming into the Church. When I read during the early 1980s in samizdatOrthodoxy and the Religion of the Future and Signs of the End Times, I was stunned by his ability to connect and place into Christian context the scattered and multi-faceted phenomena of modern times. He taught me that that the history of mankind, indeed the very life of every person is filled with meaning. Father Seraphim has remained a unique example of a missionary in whom were combined a powerful mind and asceticism, and the ability to speak with fervent faith to his readers in their own language. His path to Orthodoxy was thorny, but through his personal experience and choice by both the mind and the heart, he brought and will continue to bring a multitude of people to the Church.

*   *   *

Archpriest Andrei Tkachev

This man’s name and information about him entered into my life during the time when the song, “Good-bye America, o-o-o” was a fresh hit. Secretly raised on a love for a country of “forbidden fruits” and its culture, many of us truly viewed America as a country “where I will never be” and where “you can find everything”, but you won’t find Orthodoxy, and probably never will. In our country during that period, whole generations were discovering the Orthodox faith like a kind of “Atlantis”, and we were greatly surprised to learn that a similar discovery was taking place in other countries by people of other cultures, including in the States.

Father Seraphim is very close to me as a person who sought Truth without compromise. He was prepared to undertake any physical or intellectual labor, just to achieve that goal. This is always a rare quality. But during these times of spiritual slackness, when even the strongest souls often look like twice-boiled cabbage, it is especially rare. “If the Chinese possess the truth, then I will learn their language and read their books,” said Eugene Rose. “If the Hindus have the truth, I will learn Sanskrit and drink from their sources”. That is what he did, passing the experience of peoples and nations through himself, studying whatever was the main thing these peoples have given to mankind.

Such behavior is, I will repeat it, rare in our days. Not everyone has a thirst for the truth, and it would follow that not everyone seeks the Source of Life. People think that since they were born in, say, Russia, then they will be elemental Christians all their lives by birthright, just as if they were born in a bread shop and will therefore happily be a bread roll all their lives. Various faiths have become intertwined with ethnicity and have turned into a kind of national and cultural appendage. Such manifestations are just as dangerous for the Christian faith as erosive skepticism. The true search for Truth is preceded by an existential anxiety, a feeling of being torn away from the sources of existence. And the more outwardly successful a person appears, the stronger this feeling is.

If Eugene had been hungry, all his energy would have gone into the search for food for himself and his family. Had he been deprived of the opportunity to study, to rest, have a good time and enjoy life, all the passion of his soul might have gone into social pathos, the fight for justice, equality, etc. But he was not hungry, he was successful, young, handsome, and not excluded from modern comforts of life. So, instead of burning out his life and going from one pleasure to another he began to seek the Living God. I found all this very amazing some time long ago, and it still amazes me whenever I think about it.

Fr. Seraphim Rose giving a lecture at the New Valaam Academy, Platina, 1980.

Eugene accepted Orthodoxy in an unassuming church and had the feeling of coming home. This is also a very important moment granted to many people. Entrance into the Promised Land should be emphasized by its contrast with the lifeless desert that one leaves behind. The Father’s embrace is especially warm after the prodigal son’s life among the swine, far from home. Contrast is needed, which says to the heart: “Well, here it is, finally.” This contrast is needed not only for those who were born and raised in a non-Orthodox country. It is needed for all those who seek God and find Him after long effort,though he be not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27).

“The doors of the church literally closed behind my back,” recalls Fr. Seraphim. For those who seek God alone and His grace, similar things happen without the participation of any strong mediators; that is, without any powerful sermons, grand architecture, or soul-stirring music. Everything around might be very humble and everyday, but the seeker experiences a memorable meeting with the One Who is likewise seeking the seeker. This is the moment of conversion.

Orthodoxy should become a world religion that counteracts the ethnic limitations we are used to. Orthodoxy is by nature supra-nationalistic and universal. It is fitting for it to become this. If only we ourselves would enter in, and not prevent those Americans, Brazilians, Thais, Congolese, etc. who want to enter into communion with God, theywillenter the Church, every day. They will bring their historical and mental characteristics, make us take another look at what we have grown accustomed to, from the vantage point of eternity. The first among them will be people like Father Seraphim Rose—that is, the intellectually gifted and insatiable in their desire to know God, the energetic and uncompromising, who want to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father seeketh such to worship him (Jn. 4:23). And there is no nation that is absolutely incapable of bearing this fruit.

Thus through the name of Father Seraphim Rose did we learn that the American nation does not consist only of people chewing gum and insensibly watching television (you see, it was easier for us to think that way), but also of those who seek the Truth and will not rest until they find it. This alone compels us to remember Father Seraphim in our prayers.

*   *   *

Hieromonk Symeon (Tomachinsky):

In the early 1990s Father Seraphim Rose played a large role in my Christian formation. We read his books The Soul After Death, Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, God’s Revelation to the Human Heart and others, but we were especially impressed by his biography, Not of This World, written by Hieromonk Damascene. (Several years ago, a much re-worked edition of this book was published by us in Sretensky Monastery.) An American born, intellectual and rebel, a spiritual diver, first of all amidst the depths of Eastern practices, a charismatic personality—he reminds us very much of Steven Jobs. But Eugene Rose sought the truth and not the exotic; he had no use for glory and success, he was truly not of this world. And his conversion to Orthodoxy, especially to Russian Orthodoxy, made a very strong impression on us young Russians who were only recently discovering the faith of our fathers.

In 1993 I had the good fortune to become acquainted with Orthodox Americans who continued Father Seraphim’s work. I even worked with them at the Valaam Society of America. They were then situated on Pogodinsaya Street, under the hospitable protection of Metropolitan Pitirim, and I was often with them. There you could find Father Seraphim’s books in the original language, watch how the Russian versions were being published, and come into contact with the mission that those American monks had begun in the wild forests using antediluvian printing presses.

Hieromonk Seraphim Rose.

In those days I was able to edit the translation of Father Seraphim’s book on Blessed Augustine—in the Russian it is called, A Taste of True Orthodoxy. (This was probably one of my first editorial experiences.) I was glad beyond words to read Father Seraphim’s inspired defense of Blessed Augustine, who was one of my favorite authors, from the attacks of Orthodox people who had “zeal not according to knowledge”. I still consider this small brochure to be very important for a correct understanding of patristic works as a whole, and Latin patristics in part.

And, of course, the ‘zine later published by his brotherhood called Death to the World made a huge impression on me. The idea was that Christianity, and especially monasticism, fulfills the yearning of “angry young people” towards non-conformism, rebellion against falsehood and hypocrisy. This is the very experience that inspired me and Vladimir Legoida when we discussed the future publication of an Orthodox periodical for young people. From these discussions were later born the periodicals, Foma and Tatiana’s Day. [Foma means “Thomas”, and the periodical is subtitled, “A journal for those who doubt”. Tatiana’s Day is named after the Martyr Tatiana, to whom is also dedicated a church in the Moscow State University.]

In a word, Father Seraphim Rose means very much to me, and I always commemorate him in the Divine services and ask his prayers.

*   *   *

We would like to include for English readers some of the readers’ commentary to this article, which further shows how Russian Orthodox Christians feel about Father Seraphim Rose.

“The example of Father Seraphim’s life and ascetic labors have helped and continue to help me during the most difficult moments of my life, and his book, The Soul After Deathstrengthens us when we see our close ones off to eternal life. I believe that the Lord has taken Father Seraphim into His Heavenly abodes. Father Seraphim, pray to God for us!” —Galina

“The amazing books of Father Seraphim Rose opened to me the beauty of Orthodoxy, and they are still my favorite books. I bow my head before his ascetic labors, his path, and his zeal.”—Natalia

“Father Seraphim, pray to God for us… His books were some of my first, and they formed in me an enduring immunity to all sorts of eastern garbage.”—Vasya

“Father Seraphim showed us how the heart opens up to God. What else do we need in life? Thank you!” —Alexander

Translation by OrthoChristian.com

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/

Elder Dobri - live saint who amazed Bulgaria

He's taken from the Bible.This is amazing story of 96 years old stranger who suffering and redeem for his great sin (as he says) and begs God forgiveness.Can be seen each day to collecting alms in front the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans - "Alexander Nevski" cathedral, in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The most people before thought that he's a beggar while his amazing story was told on national TV. In the summer of 2010 in bulgarian Black Sea island were found holy remains of St. John the Baptist (were recognized as authentic by the Vatican) and this has led the society to observe one another saint.

In fact this 96 years old week man walk on foot every day from the village Baylovo to Sofia (43 km) whether it is winter or summer, even in the largest cold and freez, wearing only into old raunchy national clothes. He received the minimum pension of 200 leva (100 Euro), but until now he has donated 36,000 leva to Elenitsa monastery, 7 000 leva to "Seven Saints" church, 11 000 to "Saints Cyril and Methodius " church, and 37 400 lv to "Alexander Nevski" cathedral (the largest giver since the last bulgarian Tsar).

 He donates churches, collects money from people and gave them to God. Says that after years every one will understand what is the meaning. And with his children's sparkling blue eyes wishes everyone good health and God's grace. Tells us to love God and turn to him because only he will give us love. Youth and money go away, friendships are not sure, beauty is for few years, the vanity of life is short, but tells us where the truth is - God is truth. And judging by the reaction of people is right because most of them cry when they see his holiness. Seems like a real saint who kiss the hand and loves. Hardly can be seen such amazing goodness and saintliness elsewhere in our times. Once he was attacked by bad teens and good people come to his aid. Teenagers began to flee and he went after them to forgive everyone..

Father Raphael Noica: WE DO NOT NEED TO DESPAIR!

“…Allow me to repeat the words: ‘Keep your mind in hell, and despair not‘. Father Sophrony, when he heard these words for the first time, he felt that they were divine words, not only for St. Silouan and and his own salvation, but for an entire generation, for all the lack of hope that takes shape in a world so full of despair, as he knew it then, after the First World War. I’d like to add these words also: when God says ‘do not despair‘, I’ve seen many strain themselves – that they were already so stressed, as in what should I do to not despair so that I don’t make God angry? No, brethren, it’s not about that, God does not forbid lack of hope, but he tells us that…we don’t need to lose hope! We don’t need to despair!

When you can’t take it anymore, when you feel you are going crazy… as Fr. Sophrony once told a hermit: ‘go and make a cup of tea‘. Or, as St. Isaac The Syrian told another hermit: ‘when you feel that the thoughts of blasphemy are over-powering you, cover yourself and go to sleep.’ I’ll say also, in our modern language: ‘Take a nap‘, allow yourself to recover physically, and then, you continue... Fr. Sophrony told that hermit the things he was experiencing himself, seeing the spiritual state that he was in (the hermit was asking for a word on salvation) – he was hosting him, offering him tea, some biscuits and whatever else he had. So: comfort yourself. And when you regain strength, you can continue. The same thing he was doing himself. Continue in what way? Knowing that God’s Providence is working something which you have not yet discovered.

In the most horrific moments of our lives, not only is it needed to not lose hope, nor give ourselves over to death, nor lock ourselves in that despair; but, more so: often times, if not every time, the most horrific moments of our lives are, potentially, the most demanding. Those are the times when you have to go on for yet another moment… Think about a sailor who was caught by a wave on the deck of the ship and for a second or two the deck will be underwater: well, is that the right time to let go of the pole? No, that’s not even the moment to try to run so you don’t lose the cabin. No, that’s when you only do one thing: you hold on to the pole. And you also hold your breath until the wave passes. When the ship is above the waves again, that’s when you can go, fast, to the cabin, if the case… So, the hardest, most painful, and tragic moments, are potentially the most demanding (…)

I’ve talked about our personal lives, but it’s applicable to the world in general. For, we are talking about an eschatological period, meaning one about the end …(…) I take it this period, if it’s a tragic one…, actually, no: the more tragic and cruel it is, the more demanding it will be, not just concerning our personal lives, but our adamic condition, our history. What will be? We shall see, but we live with hope in our God.

And we ask God that He cultivates in us that which man cannot accomplish by himself, according to His word: “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” And, more so than any other time we must say this prayer more frequently: “Lord, come and abide in me and You Yourself work in me the things that are pleasing to You!”. From the things that are pleasing to God, nowadays, we need Faith that is able to take us through the hardest events that are becoming more and more unimaginable. Not only is this not the time to lose hope, but it is the time to hold on to the pole more than ever, until the wave passes. Who knows what will be and in what way? The words that remain essential: ‘Keep your mind in hell, and despair not’ (…)

Since the Industrial Revolution and The First World War a new world has begun. And, in this world, we try as much as we can to live as our Fathers did. When we can do something we say: thanks to You, Lord,… when we can’t do anything: …patience! As Father Cleopa (Ilie) would say: patience, patience, patience…May The Lord give you and give all of us a comforting divine Grace, so that we can go through things! The kind of comfort that the sailor has knowing that the wave will eventually pass, but for now, one thing I know: to hold on to this pole..”.

(from the conference, The Philokalia – Incarnation and eschatological premises)/πηγή

Homily to the Two Saints Demetrius [26 and 27, October 2011]

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Saints are surprises…and not expectations in the Church…although the Church is the one that born Saints.

Saints are born in the Church, in relation with God and on the measure of intensityof this relation they are surprises, there are people who surpass expectations.

The young governor Demetrius (commemorated on 26 october throughout the Orthodox Church) was killed by poke him with lances. The reason? Simple: his orthodox identity.

He was killed for that he did not sacrifice to the gods. And how could he sacrifice to the gods, if those are fantasies of demons?

He exceeded expectations…because he loved God more than his own life.

His Holy Relics, of Saint Demetrius, who lived in the III century after Christ, are atThessaloniki or Salonika.

But, in Romania, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest, are the Holy Relics ofSaint Demetrius Basarabov. And even now, thousands of pilgrims expect to worship at his reliquary.

Saint Great Martyr Demetrius, the Myrrh Bearer…and Saint Pious Demetrius Basarabov or the New, the second being from Bulgaria.

And namely a greek and a bulgarian are Saints whom we celebrate in these days inluminous mode.

But in comparison with the first, the second Demetrius was his village’s cowboy…and, later, he became hermit.

And the Church does not honor them as Saints because the one was governor and another hermit, but because they both lived and died orthodox.

The fidelity, the faithfulness to God is the main reason for their canonization. For that, as in marriage, what matters is inner unity, fidelity of the spouses, which does not make them separate from each other.

In Bucharest, in addition, is, in these days, and the head of Saint Apostle Andrew, brought by a delegation of Patras, Greece.

And after 2000 years, the Evangelizer of romanians comes first in Bucharest, through his Holy Relics!

Therefore the joy is immense in the hearts of believers. Because the believers feel the Saints as the most necessary of their joy.

Saint Demetrius the New or from Bucharest died as a stranger, between two stones. The water of river was taken off his Holy Relics at sight.

And both Saints did countless miracles over time and they do and now. Therefore are surprising, ie wonderful in our eyes.

Are surprising as life, as God’s mercy, as holiness. Because the life with God is a continuous miracle, a constantly emphasizing of new joy and understanding.

And our prayer to them should fill us with the surprising joy of divine grace andmore peace.

For that the purpose of communion with the Saints is their following. And we follow the Saints in our measure and our interior rhythm.

But through all what we do…we must feel that we approach the Saints and that they are our friends.

And the two Saints Demetrius are friend’s the believers, the zealous, of thosedetermined for an everlasting love of God.

Therefore, we also may be their friends! To be their friends through spiritualbeauty and purity. Amen!

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